Strike!

by Chris Bertram on February 23, 2004

I’ll be on strike on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. I’m sure that the bourgeoisie are making plans to flee the country and that their lackeys in the capitalist press will be uttering their denunciations … but I don’t care.

Actually, I feel duty bound to participate because I’m a member of the union, and the ballot went in favour of a strike. But since the union is possibly the feeblest one in the TUC, has no ideas for how to get money into higher education, is challenging a deal that every other campus union has signed up to already and is most famous for marching under the stirring banner Rectify the Anomaly! , I hold out no hope of success. The BBC has somedetails on the dispute, as does the Guardian , but most of the newsmedia have so far chosen to ignore the strike completely.

If anyone can bring the government to its knees the lecturers can! C’mon, whom is this strike going to hurt, other than the students who don’t matter anyway. Your strike wont cost the vice chancellors a day’s revenue, will create zero media interest, and will embarrass no one except those academics self-aware enough to see the futility of this kind of demonstration politics. But hey, have fun.

Well I’m the strait-laced type, the boringly conventional type. I much prefer to rectify the anomaly. I do it all day long – going to and fro on the earth, and walking up and down in it, rectifying all the anomalies I see. Full time job, I can tell you.

Well, not that I’d want to appear all optimistic or anything, but don’t you think there’s some sign that the AUT is (finally!) getting it’s sh*t together? A week of action rather than the odd day, followed by an indefinite boycott of assessment, seems like a pretty big deal. And the vote in favour of the strike (65%) was pretty overwhelming (with a further 16% supporting disruption short of strikes)…

Ophelia, I intend to contest that election vigorously. I foresee a negative campaign, full of snippy remarks, hurt looks, and cold silences. In fact, I’m kicking off my campaign by being Extremely Annoyed that you thought of that joke first.

Yes, its an entertaining set of circumstances, all right. Not as enjoyable, perhaps, as actually working in British academe. But then, what could be nicer than a crap job in an underfunded university where the government says you are part of the problem as you fill out your Quality Assessment paperwork which will have no effect whatsoever on improving your situation? Quite right, Chris! No hope of success! That’s what makes Britian great! Give up now!